Most of Davis is fairly easy to navigate around via various means of transportation because a large portion of it was planned to follow a basic grid pattern. However, navigating through some parts of Davis can be difficult, as streets are not clearly differentiated, signage is inadequate, and many of Davis' streets have names that are completely unmemorable. It doesn't impede navigation much, but it makes giving directions difficult. Even then, it's useful to look at a map. If you get lost downtown, you can always look at the Downtown Map Signs.

Downtown Davis is on the grid system where lettered streets run north/south and numbered streets run east/west. On north/south streets, addresses start at the last numbered street. For example, on E street, the 300 block is between 3rd street and 4th street. The same applies to most north/south streets in Central and Downtown Davis. Some geocoding software still have issues on this simple grid, as the block between 3rd and 4th has addresses from 300 to 350, and the next block from 400 to 450.

From some locations, on a clear day, hills are visible to the west which can be useful in navigation.

In many areas of Davis, the street names conform to different themes. Some of these themes reflect the unique social climate of the community. For example, many streets in the Village Homes development are named after characters and places in The Hobbit. Other streets are named after prestigious universities. Other themes are fairly standard, such as a section of North Davis in which streets are named after different species of birds. Some streets have talking crosswalks.

Shortcuts allow you to get from point to point in non-obvious ways. Many cut across areas that are supposedly blocked to traffic (part of the planned growth), but are accessible to foot or bike traffic - or in some cases can be navigated with a vehicle.

Neighborhoods

Downtown offers many local shops and is impossible to park in for any length of time.

Campus

The UCD campus is closed to vehicle traffic, unless you happen to be there on official business. Bicycling or walking is your best bet for navigating campus. If you're visiting by car, there are many parking options (almost all paid). The main ways for vehicles to navigate around the edges of main campus:

Significant Intersections

Geographical Almanac

If you've got a GPS and want to set a waypoint for downtown, the intersection of 3rd and G Street is 38º32'42" N, 121º44'21" W. If you're more into the whole compass thing, the declination is 14.21º (as of July 2010), but check here as it changes over time.